Watching a Show in the Office

The "Frost Snow Project" was no stranger to hired trolls.

It had faced them once right after its initial release.

But that was normal.

In this world, the ACG game circle was a peculiar place—anyone who waded into it would eventually get slammed.

Either slammed by players, slammed by hired trolls, or slammed by both at once.

If you released a new game and neither trolls nor players were trashing it, it mostly meant your game was dead in the water, with no one caring at all.

When "Frost Snow Project" first launched, thanks to its relatively niche positioning, it enjoyed the premium treatment—getting slammed by both players and trolls simultaneously.

But that "welcome ceremony" only lasted three or four days.

After that, probably sensing the "Frost Snow Project"'s doomed vibe, rival companies quickly stopped topping up the trolls' accounts.

Then the "Frost Snow Project"'s buzz took a cliff-like nosedive.

"What's the situation this time?"

"Could some rival have the foresight to think the 'Frost Snow Project' turning things around would threaten them?"

"Hmm..."

Xu Meng pondered for a few seconds, trying to pinpoint the mastermind.

But there were over a dozen ACG game companies with recognizable names—no way to guess.

In the end, he could only jot it down in his little notebook, toss his phone aside in annoyance, and go to sleep.

The next day, the moment he arrived at the company, Xu Meng stormed into the Operations Department to chew out the person in charge.

"Do you know who's hiring trolls to steer the narrative against us?"

"Huh?" Operations Director Song Zhicheng blinked in confusion, clearly caught off guard by the question.

Seeing his expression, Xu Meng helplessly pressed a hand to his forehead.

That thought from yesterday resurfaced—how could he make a good game alongside these Pests?

But he shook his head, casting that excessive idea aside.

He pulled out his phone, opened the comment section for the "Frost Snow Project" account, and showed it to Song Zhicheng.

Song Zhicheng scrolled through a few pages and said uncertainly, "Are these from hired trolls?"

Xu Meng took a deep breath and raised a hand to his chest.

Behind him, Little Assistant Chen Mengling had already slipped her hand into her inner pocket.

"You're asking me? Who's the Operations Director, you or me!?"

Song Zhicheng fell silent.

"Come on, haven't you been in this industry for over seven years?" Xu Meng looked at him, a mix of frustration and disappointment. "Haven't you made any industry friends, like troll ringleaders or something?"

Song Zhicheng had nothing to say.

After a long pause, he forced out, "I... don't like trolls. I haven't had much contact with them."

"?" A question mark slowly formed above Xu Meng's head.

You're an ACG game operations guy, and you've made it to director—not liking trolls is normal, but not having much contact is a bit...

"I quit my last two jobs because I refused to use trolls to attack competitors and got fired," Song Zhicheng confessed with some difficulty.

"..."

Xu Meng wanted to say something but found it hard to get the words out.

So Dream Builder's Operations Director was a high-minded idealist?

Not easy.

Too bad, buddy, you picked the wrong track.

You shouldn't be at an ACG game company—you should go to a single-player game studio.

That place is crawling with damn idealists, each one more stubborn than the last.

Xu Meng let out a weary sigh. "Forget it."

"Not wanting to attack competitors is fine, but you can't just sit there and take it when others attack you. Here's what you do—try asking around with your old colleagues."

"If you can't find out, then forget it."

"If you can figure out which company it is, you don't need to hire trolls. Just tell me, and I'll curse them out myself."

"Huh? Oh, okay." Song Zhicheng froze for a moment, then quickly nodded.

"And about that VTuber girl you were supposed to contact—make sure you hurry it up. Don't skimp on the budget."

"Got it. I'm already setting up meetings."

"Got it. Let me know as soon as you find out." Xu Meng repeated the instruction before finally leaving the Operations Department.

As he passed through the open-plan office area, he could clearly sense a restless energy flowing through the crowd.

Unlike yesterday's turmoil—when the company was on the verge of bankruptcy, the boss had fired the heads of the Copywriting and Art Departments in succession, and drastically restructured work content—this energy carried no unease. Instead, it pulsed with a covert joy and anticipation.

A few people, in particular, were grinning lecherously.

Xu Meng had no idea what was going on.

"What's up with them?" he asked Chen Mengling.

The Little Assistant pointed at Chen Wanzhong, not far away. "Their reactions are different, but the reason's the same."

Xu Meng followed her gaze and saw Chen Wanzhong fidgeting restlessly, his face flushed red, occasionally clenching his fists to psych himself up.

"What's he nervous about? Going on a blind date?"

"Boss, didn't you say to send an invitation to the modeling agency and bring in models for them to draw reference from? The models are arriving this afternoon." The Little Assistant finally revealed the answer.

"Chen Wanzhong's too nervous, but to do his job well, he can't afford not to look. He's mentally preparing himself."

"The other employees have just never seen several models in real life before. They're probably looking forward to a live show or something."

"A live show?" Xu Meng shook his head instinctively.

But after shaking it, he fell into thought.

To ensure the reference-gathering was effective, they had offered the modeling agency double the price, securing permission for staff outside the photography team to observe during the shoot.

The company was indeed short on cash, but the appearance fee for a B-list model for an afternoon was actually very low—so low it made Xu Meng wonder how they even survived.

Still, low fee or not, the proper respect had to be given.

Xu Meng had his staff rearrange the large motion-capture office, setting aside a rest area and a changing room.

The observing staff wouldn't swarm in like they were watching monkeys. Instead, a designated viewing area was marked off, and photography was banned.

The motion-capture venue was Dream Builder's largest indoor space—so large it exceeded what a company of Dream Builder's scale should have had, easily accommodating everyone.

Unsurprisingly, this was another legacy left by the previous boss, Zhang Yang.

In short, Xu Meng demanded the process be as professional as possible to eliminate any potential awkwardness for the models.

Thinking about it this way, turning this "reference-gathering" into a team-building fashion show didn't seem like a bad idea.

The models could get an extra red envelope to supplement their living expenses.

The employees could shake off the anxiety from the company's upheaval and layoffs, boost morale, and dive into the upcoming grind of overtime work.

"Do you want to watch too?" he asked his assistant.

The Little Assistant looked a bit embarrassed, but seeing that Xu Meng wasn't joking, she nodded excitedly. "Yes! So much!"

"Then let's do it. Go find Zhang Ge and Sister Chen and have them organize it."

These two—one handling external liaison, the other managing internal coordination—were among the few employees at Dream Builder over forty, experienced and highly reliable.

Sister Chen, in particular, handled both administration and HR and was very popular in the company.

Xu Meng watched the Little Assistant trot off to find them and nodded with satisfaction.

Having a company was way more comfortable than going it alone.

Being a Hands-off Manager felt great!

He unscrewed his thermos, took small sips of goji berry tea, and strolled leisurely over to the Art Staff's workstations to watch them draw the new character portraits.

He was most familiar with Ding Nian and Xu Fang, so he walked over to see their work.

But the moment he saw Ding Nian's screen, half the goji berry tea in his mouth sprayed straight out of his throat.

"Cough, cough, cough!!"

He was choked into a violent coughing fit.

Ding Nian, who had been completely focused on her drawing, turned around in confusion.

On the computer screen beside her was a Red-haired Mature Woman, completely naked, reclining sideways on a dark red sofa while drinking red wine.

That was Tong Que, the female character with the most screen time in the early stages of the "Frost Plan."

"Why—cough!—are you drawing a character without clothes?" Xu Meng asked with difficulty between coughs.

I did say to make the character sexier, but I didn't say to strip her naked!

This thing would never pass censorship!!